ICC anti-corruption unit to fight 'pitchsiders'

Sydney, Feb 5 (IANS) The International Cricket Council's (ICC) Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) is set to outline its anti-fraudulent measures on Friday with special attention given to 'pitchsiding' during the World Cup.

'Pitchsiding' is the term given to those fans who attend matches attempting to take advantage of the miniscule time lag - which can stretch to 15 seconds - between action on the ground and its live telecasting on TV, in order to place bets or pass on information to illegal bookmakers.

The anti-corruption officials believe pitchsiding is the latest danger to the game's integrity, already damaged by match-fixing and spot-fixing, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

Officials from the ACSU and security personnel from Australia and New Zealand conducted a workshop here on Thursday to underline and combat the latest menace the sport faces.

New Zealand cricket officials recently threw out a fan suspected of pitchsiding from the stadium during the first One-Day International (ODI) between New Zealand and Pakistan after he was spotted by the TV cameras.

The incident occurred weeks after a British national was banned by Cricket Australia from attending matches run by the board after finding him pitchsiding during the Big Bash Twenty20 League.

ICC plans to deploy at least two anti-corruption officers for each of the 49 games of the 14-nation tournament Feb 14-March 29.

The ICC last year signed a memorandum of understanding with the Australian federal police and New Zealand police agencies to co-ordinate police teams to fight against corruption at the big event.